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Complaint against ‘O’ on Autzen withdrawn

HHHH

The woman who brought the action worried about “escalating harassment” against her

By Diane Dietz

The Register-Guard

Appeared in print: Thursday, May 14, 2009, page A1

A Eugene resident has dropped her challenge to a three-story “O” logo the University of Oregon put on the south side of Autzen Stadium without obtaining the required city approvals.

McKay Sohlberg retreated because she feared “escalating harassment” given the vehemence with which Duck football fans responded recently to news of the challenge, she said Wednesday in an e-mail to The Register-Guard.

The University of Oregon installed the 816-square-foot yellow “O” in fall 2007 without obtaining a sign or building permit or asking for an exception to city zoning rules.

The sign, which was put up for ESPN Game Day coverage of a Ducks football pregame, is eight times larger than the rules allow.

Withdrawal of Sohlberg’s challenge means the university now has an exception to city zoning rules and the big O can stay, provided the university now goes back and applies for a sign permit and a building permit.

The university faces a penalty of double the usual permit fees — about $1,900 — because it did not get permits before hanging the sign, said Mike McKerrow, supervisor for the city’s land use management department. The sign itself cost $18,000.

Sohlberg’s challenge to the sign had progressed for more than a year behind the scenes until a May 6 Register-Guard story brought the issue to light.

The story unleashed a swift response on the newspaper’s Web site, where Duck fans harshly criticized Sohlberg and her decision to challenge the sign.

The unsigned comments grew into personal attacks on Sohlberg. And, when writers repeatedly listed Sohlberg’s home address and suggested others “express outrage,” the newspaper removed all 74 comments from the Web site and disabled the ability to comment further on that news story.

“The discussion veered outside the bounds of the Web site’s published terms of use policy,” said Carl Davaz, deputy managing editor.

Uncivil, unproductive and hurtful comments from the public are a big problem for newspapers and blog operators, said Tim Gleason, dean of the UO School of Journalism and Communications.

“I don’t know whether there’s been a decline in civility or if we just see more of this uncivil behavior because the Internet is so accessible. But it is quite alarming that when an individual raises a concern, that he or she is descended upon by people who aren’t willing to engage in a respectful conversation,” he said. “It is the mob drowning out individuals, and that is worrisome.”

Sohlberg, who is a UO associate professor, also received ugly comments at work and at home, according to a co-worker at the university.

She feared the level of public anger directed to her family and workplace if she were to proceed with the challenge to the improperly placed sign, especially if she won, she said in the e-mail. Then, the “O” would have to be removed. It wasn’t worth the distraction, Sohlberg wrote in the e-mail.

“I appreciate the university’s communication with me and willingness to examine my concerns. I am hopeful that the process to date will positively influence the direction of future sports development decisions,” she wrote.

The university responded to requests for comment with a written statement from its attorney, Melinda Grier: “Sohlberg is an esteemed member of the UO faculty. While we may differ on the merits of this case, the University of Oregon recognizes and appreciates her right to pursue the appeals process.

“The University of Oregon always strives to be a supportive member of the Eugene-Springfield community. We are confident that this process will result in a more positive, constructive and meaningful relationship between the UO and its neighbors.”

The city received about a dozen written comments last week as part of the administrative proceeding on the sign. All but one of them spoke to pride in the university and its athletic teams.

Mike Todd of Springfield wrote that if the university had applied to the city of Eugene for permits, a bureaucratic delay might have prevented the sign from being installed before ESPN’s GameDay arrived to cover a Ducks football game.

“While I understand that this does not entitle the university to do the project anyway, I believe that the project has done far more good for the university and the city of Eugene than harm. The prideful image, in my opinion, showed the nation that the cities of Eugene-Springfield have a strong bond with its university and its athletic programs,” he wrote.

But John Etheredge of Eugene asked for removal of the “O.” The idea that Autzen Stadium is too big to regulate under the city’s sign rules, as the UO had argued in filings with the city, is an insult to the rule of law, he wrote.

“Please enforce the city of Eugene sign code, which applies to the U of O just as it applies to the rest of us. This code is just one of the many things that makes Eugene a livable city,” he wrote.

Sohlberg and other opponents of the university’s decision to hang the three-story-tall sign without submitting to city regulation questioned whether the city’s decision to allow the sign to stay would set a precedent — particularly for the university’s new basketball arena, now under construction on Franklin Boulevard.

The university would have to apply for an exception to the code for a sign that’s bigger than that. And, in any case, it would need building and sign permits from the city.

“Each case has to be judged on its own merits,” land use analyst Kent Kullby said. “We certainly would look at past decisions and try to be consistent with them, but that certainly isn’t a green light for anything.”

UO President Dave Frohnmayer said earlier that any sign on the new arena would be tasteful and appropriate. “There’s a big O that’s really, really wonderful because it’s a montage of faces and actions of University of Oregon alumni,” he said. “It’s built into the glasswork. It’s built into the architecture. It’s not a sign. It’s an external facing appearance that has a very nicely crafted O.”